Sustainable Vocational School Project - Guatemala CityThis sustainable education based project for the poor, underserved, abandoned children in Guatemala is focused on providing education and life skills to support opportunities that lead to self-sufficiency for abandoned children after they age out of orphanage care in Guatemala.

Education, Job Training, Self Sufficiency

'When children in Orphanage Care "age out" of private or public orphanages they typically have nowhere to go. (ADD STATISTICS HERE). Often they are discharged with little or substandard education. With no skills, no family and no place to live it is beyond difficult to gain employment or to ever obtain the opportunity for continued education. This sustainable program is focused on providing these children a chance for education as they move into their teen and young adult years and hopefully on to a productive and complete future. This vocational school project, initiated by Hogar de Ninos Fatima ( Fatima Children's Home) includes a short term goal of buying the land for a vocational school campus and building the first of many educational buildings and housing for children that age out of orphanage care. Long term plans include the addition of more educational buildings in a campus setting. This otherwise unobtainable opportunity for schooling is focused on preparing attendees to either follow on to college or train for a skilled job. It is currently proposed that orphan status children may attend for a tuition waiver while working at the school, and non-orphan status children and adults may attend the school for a tuition fee. The program focuses on sustainability of the program with support of the school with tuition fees. The design of this program has been planned by Guatemalans working and volunteering in the field of children's services and those that have grown up in the orphanage system. The focus and goals for the project are based on their close understanding of the needs of the poor abandoned children in their country, Guatemala. The plan is supported by the local Guatemalan Community as the ultimate goal is to create a sustaining educational program that includes academic and vocational skills based training with other supports to move these children along their pathway as young adults, and on towards a working, healthy and fulfilling adult life.